Greek Verse:

Literal Alternative:

Then it says, "Into that house of mine, I am going to return from which I departed." And, having arrived, it discovers it being unoccupied, having been swept and arranged.

Hidden Meaning:

The beginning and end of this verse are filled with double meanings. It makes sense if we think of "evil spirits" as the addictions and other such "demons" that plague people of every era. More about demons and evil spirits in this article the explains some aspects of this verse in more detail.

The word translated as "He saith" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it has many other meanings including "to decide or choose for oneself," which seems closer to the meaning here since he isn't speaking out loud to anyone. The "he" is added by the KJV translators.

"House" is the male version of the word for "house" as opposed to the female version that we see much more commonly. This version is used for two reasons. First, the spirit left a man (Matthew 12:43). Second, this word also means "substance," so Christ is referring to a return to the world of the physical world.

"I will return" is translated from a Greek word "to turn about" or "to turn around," but also means "cause to return" and "to turn one's mind towards" something. In the passive, which is used here, it means "to turn oneself around" or "be turned around."

The word translated as "I came out" means literally "to go or come out," but it has a secondary meaning of "making something come true." this is the same word translated as "gone out" earlier in Matthew 12:43.

The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, is best translated as "not only...but also."

There is no Greek source for the English "when".

The word translated as "he is come" primarily means "to start out" but it also means "arrive" at a place. Here it is in the past tense, in a form that could be either a verbal adjective ("having arrived") or a regular verb, ("it had arrived"). Since there is no "when" the adjective form works best.

The term used for "he findeth" is the source of our word, "heuristic," meaning enabling a person to find out something for themselves. It means "find out" and "discover." this is the same word used in the previous verse as "findeth" at tje end.

The "and's" in this section are a good example of a place where the "not only/but also" translation works best.

The three adjectives in this last section ("empty, swept, and garnished") are all verbs in the past tense that are in the form of an adjective where the verb acts on itself. Examples are given below.

The word translated as "empty" means "having not occupied himself" both in the sense "having found nothing to do" and, of a place, "not having an occupant." Since it refers to a person who an "evil spirit" has left, it has both the sense not finding another better to take its place and the person having nothing else to do, as in "idle hands are the devil's playground."

Wordplay:

The Greek word translated as "empty" means "unoccupied" in two senses, both "having nothing to do" and, of a place, "not having an occupant." Interestingly, when applied to learning, it means "to study" or "giving lectures."

The Greek word translated as "swept" means both "having swept himself clean" and "having exhausted himself."

ὅθεν (adv) "From whence" is from hothen, which means "whence, ""from whom or which", "from whatever source", "in what manner soever", "from any other place whatsoever", "where or whither", "whence, "for which reason," and "for what reason."

ἐξῆλθον: (3rd pl aor ind act) "I came out" is from exerchomai, which means "to come or go out of ", "to march forth", "go out on", "to stand forth", "to exceed all bounds", "to come to an end", "to go out of office," and [of dreams or prophecies] "to come true."

καὶ (prep) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."

ἐλθὸν (part sg aor act neut nom or verb 3rd pl aor ind act) "When he is come" is fromerchomai, which means "to start, ""to set out", "to come", "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.

[καὶ] "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."

καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."